The first international conference on natural refrigerants to be held in the EU capital Brussels will explore technology, policy, and funding opportunities for CO₂, ammonia and hydrocarbons. Among the highlights on 19-20 October: the first comprehensive practical CO₂ manual in the EU, and a call for action to put natural refrigerants on global policy agendas in Copenhagen discussions.

Atmosphere 2009 will be the first global conference on natural refrigerants to be held in Europe’s decision making centre Brussels. The event on 19-20 October will bring together industry and finance experts, as well as policy makers to discuss CO₂, ammonia and hydrocarbons. As a milestone on the way to Copenhagen discussions, the conference will sum up the technical, political and economic challenges and opportunities natural refrigerants are still facing.

“Atmosphere 2009, simply put, is going to bring together leading experts worldwide to talk about how we can get natural refrigerants faster to market. There are huge market opportunities for these natural refrigerants and Atmosphere 2009 will be a key event to discuss these,” explains Marc Chasserot, Managing Director, shecco.

The idea

In a time when global discussions are more and more determined by concerns for the environment, natural refrigerants offer a market-ready and sustainable solution to replace fluorinated gases around the world.

Atmosphere 2009 will be different from other events in the HVAC&R area as it tries to give CO₂, ammonia and hydrocarbons the same strong voice. Dedicated workshop sessions on each refrigerant will shed light on technology options currently available, market opportunities, and key policies. Legislators and environmental groups active in reducing low and high-GWP synthetic refrigerants will present their view on how to overcome barriers for natural refrigerants at the national and international level. More importantly, key players from the investment community will be invited to outline financial opportunities for a wider use of R744, R717, R600a, R290 and others.

The NARECO₂ Project

Atmosphere 2009 is supported by the EU-funded project NARECO₂ – short for: NAtural REfrigerant CO₂. The cooperation between seven project partners from the academia and industry unites expertise from different areas of using CO₂. It is the first European project to share knowledge and experience regarding CO₂ installations, and to spread the message to countries lagging behind in this rapidly growing area. Funded by the EU Leonardo Life Long Learning programme it provides structured knowledge to engineers, employees and teachers.

An e-learning module developed under the project will be presented at Atmosphere 2009, as well as the first practical guide on how to install, dimension, operate and safely handle R744 systems. The extensive document will be distributed to all participants on Tuesday, 20 October.

What next?

Over the coming weeks we will add all necessary information about the event, the speakers, the programme, and the registration process to the conference website www.atmosphere2009.com. Visit the website today to read more about the concept and partners supporting the event.


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